Chapter 772

Josh and Grace finally quieted down, though both still looked slightly dissatisfied.

Cale, on the other hand, only smirked faintly at the scene. He walked over to Daven before reaching out to gently touch Chase’s cheek.

“How are you today, hm?” he asked in a low voice. “What have you been up to? Have you already caused your father trouble again?”

Chase only blinked sleepily before hugging his father’s shoulder even tighter.

“Oh, there was definitely plenty of trouble,” Althea chimed in cheerfully. “That little boy nearly made Daven late for his morning meeting yesterday.”

“Chase wasn’t that bad,” Daven argued calmly.

“Oh really?”

Daven let out a defeated sigh while the others laughed softly at his expression.

And amidst the warm atmosphere, Althea’s gaze slowly shifted toward Naomi, who had been standing quietly watching everything the entire time.

“Oh my.” Her eyes widened slightly. “Cale, why didn’t you tell me Naomi was coming too?”

Naomi stiffened a little the moment her name was mentioned. Everyone’s attention immediately turned toward her. For a brief second, that awkward feeling of standing in the middle of this family returned again.

But before she could say anything, Althea had already walked toward her with a warm expression.

“You must be exhausted.” Her voice softened instantly. “The trip from Carrington Bay isn’t short.”

Naomi gave a small shake of her head. “I’m alright.”

“You look pale.”

“Aunt Althea,” Chris interrupted casually, both hands tucked into his pockets, “if you keep staring at her like that, she might run away.”

He said it jokingly.

“I’m just worried.” Althea shot Chris a disapproving glance. “Unlike certain people whose only talent is fooling around.”

Chris immediately raised both hands in surrender. The sight made Naomi unconsciously smile faintly. And Althea noticed that tiny change right away.

Thank goodness.

At the very least, the girl looked far calmer now compared to how Lydia had described her the previous night.

“Oh, do we have guests?”

The soft voice made Naomi turn her head.

Another girl stood near the living room entrance; several books cradled in her arms. She looked around the same age as Josh. Her long hair was tied back simply, and there was a gentle softness to her expression.

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“This is Eli,” Grace announced quickly as she climbed down from Cale’s arms. She hurried over to Eli and immediately pulled her closer to Naomi. “She lives here too.” Then she pointed proudly at Naomi. “And this is Naomi. Aunt Lydia said she’s family too.”

Eli smiled awkwardly. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Naomi returned the smile softly. “You too.”

Josh immediately walked over to Eli without the slightest bit of hesitation. “You’re already studying this early in the morning?”

“I’m memorizing formulas.”

“You study way too hard.”

“You’re just too lazy to review your lessons,” Eli replied quietly.

Chris instantly laughed under his breath while Grace shook her head helplessly at the way Josh kept trying to get Eli’s attention in his own strange manner. Meanwhile, Eli only responded patiently, as though she had long grown used to Josh’s behavior.

Naomi silently watched all of them again.

This house really was warm.

And perhaps because of that warmth, Naomi began feeling afraid.

Afraid that one day, all the chaos following her would destroy a home like this.

Afraid that her presence would slowly bring trouble into the Miller family.

The thought made Naomi unconsciously lower her gaze.

Not long after the foyer finally grew quieter again, slow footsteps echoed from the direction of the main sitting

room.

Naomi, who had been standing rather awkwardly beside Lydia, slowly turned her head. The moment she saw a middle-aged man walking downstairs beside an elegant woman, Naomi instinctively straightened her posture.

For some reason, the aura surrounding the two of them felt different.

Not frightening.

But enough to remind Naomi that she truly was still a stranger in this house.

The man still looked slightly pale, though he carried himself with calm authority. Meanwhile, the woman beside him appeared graceful and warm all at once. Their eyes immediately moved toward Cale as he stepped closer.

“Dad.”

Cale’s voice sounded lower than usual. His gaze swept quickly across the man’s face, as though trying to confirm for himself that his father’s condition had truly improved.

“You should be resting.”